Fish (Books)
Fish are a large grouping of animals mentioned often in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series, but mainly are relegated to background positions with in the stories. Description Taxonomically, there is no one taxa for Fish. Classically fish were ordered in Class Pisces. However, with increased technology and findings, creatures generally called 'fish' are not actually closely related or derived from the same ancestor. Currently, a Fish is defined as a creature with a skull, does not have legs, has gills through its whole life, and has fins (if any limbs at all). Fish also rely to some extent on aquatic environments. Most fish must stay in water to live. Some species may be able to spend a period of time out of water and survive. Other than these particular points, fish as a group is very diverse in morphology, diet, behavior, environment, and reproduction. Function In both the Book series and in real life, the main function for humans of fish are as a food source. In the Book series, they are also a food source for Dragons. In the Book series, fish may also appear as the subject of artwork, and also as a metaphor for describing other things or phrases for exclamation. Types of Fish seen in the Book Series Flounder In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, Hiccup tries to not get caught in the Hysteric Great Hall during a Freya'sday Eve feast. He throws food at the Hysterics, including "slapping another opponent around the cheek with a large flat flounder". Flounders are a grouping of Flatfish found in various regions around the world. They stay on the bottom of marine waters and have adapted by becoming flat and their eyes migrate to one side of their bodies as they grow. Historical Vikings may have encountered the European flounder (Platichthys flesus) in their travels and fishing activities. Flying Fish Flying Fish are mentioned in the Children's book, Hiccup: The Viking Who Was Seasick. A very young Hiccup steers a lost Viking ship home, past many wondrous creatures such as flying fish. Flying fish (Family Exocoetidae) are fish living in tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide. They have extremely long pectoral fins which allow them to jump from the water and glide in the air, giving the appearance of flight. HtBaV-Sealife1.JPG HtBaV-Sealife2.JPG Haddock Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) are a North Atlantic fish that is a well-known species for human consumption. It is also known for the black lateral line on its side and a 'thumb-print' mark just above its pectoral fin. Norwegians have a dish of fish balls called "fiskeboller" that is made predominantly of haddock. Haddock are mentioned briefly, but often, in the Book series, as a descriptor. Ziggerastica the King Nanodragon, employs colorful language to describe humans in How to Speak Dragonese. Haddock are also mentioned being consumed by Vikings, even as a part of breakfast. In Hiccup: The Viking Who was Seasick, Hiccup mentions having "two smallish haddock for breakfast", while Stoick later mentions having "thirty-seven largish haddock" for breakfast that same morning. Herring Herring are mentioned in How to Train Your Dragon when Hiccup feeds Toothless kippers. Kippers are herring that are split lengthwise, preserved (salted or pickled), and then smoked. In How to Be a Pirate, Hiccup tries to get Toothless out of the house to practice sniffing for treasure. He uses food to tempt him, including a mackerel "as well a small haddock pie and three or four oysters." Kippers are mentioned again in How to Speak Dragonese, when the author mentions that Hiccup "would have been as dead as a kipper several books ago" if he had been a "traditional Hooligan Hero". Hiccup also has kipper for breakfast at his home later in the Book. Lemon Sole Ziggerastica mentions lemon sole during one of his condescending speeches about the appearance of Hiccup and his friends in How to Speak Dragonese. The lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) is a fish native to shallow seas and oceanic coastlines in Scandinavia. It is a type of flatfish with eyes migrating to the right side of its head at maturity. Mackerel Mackerel are mentioned in the first book when describing the smell of dragons. The Dragon Nursery is described as smelling of "the stench of dragon - a salty stink of seaweed and old mackerel heads", in Book 1. Mackerel are also eaten by Vikings and Dragons, and are a common fishing target for dragons. Stoick the Vast eats a whole mackerel for breakfast in How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse. Mackeral is mentioned again in How to Be a Pirate, when Hiccup tries to cajole Toothless from his house with one, to practice treasure-sniffing outside. During an 'Advanced Rudery' lesion in How to Be a Pirate, Snotlout spars with Tuffnut Junior at hurling insults. Mackerel are mentioned again in How to Be a Pirate when Toothless catches "a couple of nice plump mackerel on the way" back to Berk from the Isle of the Skullions. Toothless expresses astonishment at the behaviors of humans in How to Speak Dragonese, using mackerel. In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, Hiccup sees a group of mackerel underneath the ice in the Wrath of Thor while traveling across it to Hysteria. Mackerel as food for humans is mentioned later in Book 4. Deep-fried mackerel appears as a dish at a huge feast on Freya'sday Eve in the Hysteric Great Hall. Camicazi later describes the Hysterics themselves as being "made as mackerel". HTCADC-Mackeral.JPG|Mackerel in the Wrath of Thor in Book 4 Mudskipper The Mudskipper's jumping ability is mentioned in How to Be a Pirate, describing Hiccup's beating heart. Mudskippers (Subfamily Oxudercinae) are strange fish that do jump or "skip" around on land. They are able to walk well on their pectoral fins and not only breathe in water through their gills as other fish, but also through their skin and oral mucosa. They typically inhabit tidal pools and shallow water and stay out of the water when the tides move out. Piranha Piranha are mentioned in Book 1 when Gobber describes what will happen if the Viking Novices wake up the dragons hibernating in the Dragon Nursery. Piranha are also mentioned in Book 4 when describing Squealer dragons, slug-like sedentary creatures who will devour anything. Piranha are a Family of South American freshwater fish which are omnivorous. They have the most powerful bit of a bony fish and teeth so sharp that they have been used as tools for carving wood and other uses. Stories exist of piranha stripping an animal down to the bones. While capable of this, piranha typically do not have this behavior. Most human-piranha interactions results in a bite or two, usually to the feet. Seahorse Seahorses are mentioned in "How to Be a Pirate", as decoration on cups in the treasure hoard of Grimbeard the Ghastly. Seahorses (Genus Hippocampus) are a strange type of fish the swims upright and whose appearance mimics the head and neck of a horse. They are found in tropical waters around the world. Seahorse males are the ones who incubate and hatch the eggs, after a female mate deposits them in a specialized brooding pouch. Shark See the page Shark for more information. Swordfish Swordfish are used as an exclamative phrase in the How to Train Your Dragon Books. In real life, Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are temperate and tropical ocean fish that are fished as food and for sport. Adult swordfish have very few predators other than humans. Occasionally some sharks or killer whales will prey on adult swordfish. Tuna Tuna is mentioned as an edible fish in the first Book, How to Train Your Dragon. In reality, Vikings would have only encountered a tuna fish possibly during trading and raids to Southern Europe. Tuna species prefer temperate to tropical waters. "True Tuna" (Genus Thunnus) include species such as Albacore, Atlantic Bluefin, and Bigeye. Appearances Gallery HtBaV-Hiccup2.JPG|In Hiccup: the Viking who was Seasick HtBaV-VikingSong2.JPG HTTYDbook-Toothless2.JPG|Toothless with Fish in Book 1 HTBAP-Hiccup3.JPG|Hiccup emptying fish from his boot in Book 2 HtBaP-Fish9.JPG HtBaP-Fish8.JPG HTBAP-Fish7.JPG HTBAP-Fish6.JPG HTBAP-Fish5.JPG HTBAP-Fish3.JPG HTBAP-Fish4.JPG HTBAP-Fish2.JPG HTBAP-Fish1.JPG References Site Navigation Category:Animals Category:Dragon Food Category:How to Train Your Dragon (Book) Category:How to Be a Pirate Category:How to Speak Dragonese Category:How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse Category:Human Food